Any experience using herbs for A Fib?

[Omyself]

Interest in herbs causing prolongation of Q T interval. Example of prolongation is found with grapefruit juice or passionflower. Foxglove (digitalis) has been used for years for cardiac failure. I have particular interest in anyone with experience of Yerba Santa or its flavanoid (sterubin) & any cardiac arrhythmia.

[Bagrat]

As you rightly say herbs have been used for centuries to help maintain health. The problem is they are very potent unregulated and you can never be sure what you are getting and in what strength. ( you only have to look at how the fairly innocuous cannabis of tbe 60s had morphed into "skunk" to understand tbe pitfalls".

I do not doubt tbeir efficacy only the fact it would be very hit and miss. Having established by trial and error how much you needed with one batch, tbe next could be totally different in terms of active ingredients. So no, no experience nor would I seek to gain any.

[CDreamer]

As it is a group of herbs restricted to the western coast of the US and Mexico, no and I agree with Bagrat, nor would I be seeking information. I thought it was used as an expectorant or for gastrointestinal infestations anyway?

IMHO AF is considered more of a symptom than a disease in itself and therefor can be influenced and managed in various ways - if you know the underlying cause which could be a number of health issues, or none of them.

I follow a nutritional and lifestyle route in addition to the medical route. Unfortunately research into the efficacy of various substances outside the pharmaceutical world is sadly lacking so whilst it may help an individual to take it as a tea, sharing information on specific herbs on an open forum without the relevant expertise would be unwise in the extreme.

I would suggest if you go that route - consult a fully trained, qualified and experienced herbalist or naturopath.

I can say that several supplements recommended by several doctors, have helped me which include CoQ10, L-Cartinine, D-Ribose and although I cant take it, many use Magnesium supplements as they find that very helpful, all support the Mitochondria, especially in heart cells.

Dr Sinatra is a metabolic cardiologist with qualifications in multiple disciplines, including naturopathy. His nutritional advice is based on research and his general blogs on heart health very helpful. heartmdinstitute.com/diet-n...

Hope that helps.

[Paulbounce]

I`m sitting on fence with this one.

The pharmaceutical companies make vast amounts of money. It`s not in their interests for alternative `cures` to go main stream - certainly if you can grow them yourself. They invest $$$$$$ to find a drug and then have a 20 year patient to make some money. After that the drug can be made by others - generic drugs cost a fraction of the price of the original when the patient has expired.

However without such a system there would be no incentive for the drug companies to invest in the first place. To me it`s wrong - why can`t things that help people be found without financial gain ?

Still - it is what it is.

I think 'alternative natural remedies' are certainly worth considering. They could well help but be careful before embarking on such a course. I would take them along side med`s for afib - not instead of. I would also consult a health pro before doing so. Some can interact with the med`s you are already taking. It`s certainly worth researching but you need to make a very informed decision.

Would I do it ? Yes 100% if it helped with my afib.

Best,

Paul

[Auriculaire in reply to Paulbounce]

Agree completely. Apart from anything else the so called safe prescribing doses of any pharmaceutical are not tailored to individuals - not their genetics, age or sex. For people who have either quick or slow metabolising livers this can lead to either ineffective doses or dangerous build up. It has been discovered that certain drugs work differently in women. None of this is taken into account. You have only to look at the " one size fits all" dosing of Bisoprolol.

[Bagrat in reply to Paulbounce]

Paulbounce I'm not commenting on your post but agree big pharma are not whiter than white. Your typo gave me a laugh. I appreciate black humour "After that the drug can be made by others - generic drugs cost a fraction of the price of the original when the patient has expired."

[Paulbounce in reply to Bagrat]

hahaha Bagrat - got ya.

I could edit the post but I`ll just leave it be. Might give others a laugh too

Mental note to self - always double check spelling before you post !

heheh

Best,

Paul

[nymima01]

My mother has had afib for almost 30 yrs. She has tried everything. Some of it, I feel has caused more afib. She finally realized that she may be contributing to her own afib with the use of supplements and stopped them all. Nothing ever changed. She still had afib. She’s been on many heart meds for afib, but never had an ablation or any of the other procedures. Perhaps this type of intervention would have helped her.

[Franny50]

For what it's worth in the way of unscientific anecdotes, I had cancer twice, the second time being Stage 4, and after surgeries and a year on 3 different types of chemo which I had to stop as it was killing me, I started exploring options on the web. Since then, 2004, I've probably taken 30+ different supplements more or less regularly, esp. Vitamin C, Resveratrol, Magnesium, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2, L-Carnitine, Quercetin, Astaxanthin, Lutein, Krill Oil, and many more; most not on a daily basis, but in loose rotation throughout the month.

If you buy from a reputable company (Life Extension, Swanson, Pure Encapsulations, Dailey, Now, etc.) you can be pretty sure you're getting what you're paying for.

Needless to say that none of these supplements has cured my AF, which could've been caused by the chemo, strenuous long-distance cycling and daily AirDyning when I was younger, and even after cancer, being overweight, doing draconian low-carb diets, etc., or all of the above. But there is a lot of research re for example, Vitamin C, that shows a definite ameliorative effect on AF after heart surgery, which could easily be extrapolated to "regular old AF". Same for resveratrol. There are literally thousands of studies of these plant compounds that have often been the basis of drug co. research & patents. E.g., even metformin was derived from French lilac, used for centuries for diabetes.

So IMO it is very wrongheaded to paint all supplements as some sort of widespread uncontrolled health threat.

"Regulated" Pharma drugs, including opioids, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, etc. cause exponentially more bad outcomes and deaths.

[CDreamer in reply to Franny50]

I think we are all in the same book if not exactly on the same page on this one. And we need to be cautious and do our own research from reputable sources as we all unique and there is no one fit for all here.